PUEBLO, Colo. — Gun crimes have become such a concern in our state that lawmakers established the Office of Gun Violence to track and offer strategies to address the problem. Meanwhile, we’re learning in southern Colorado stolen guns are fueling a lot of this violence.
News5 took an in-depth look at the issue in Pueblo and how technology is shedding light on the story of each stolen gun recovered by officers.
While crooks at times have broken into gun stores to steal weapons, federal investigators say more often guns are being stolen from people’s homes and even their vehicles.
In Pueblo investigators say if people did a better job safeguarding their guns it could save lives and prevent the crime sprees that often follow.
News5 reporter Patrick Nelson asked Pueblo Police Department Deputy Chief Joseph Garcia how often guns are stolen in Pueblo.
”Everyday. Everyday someone has a gun stolen,” said Garcia. “We have more violent people released onto the streets every day and the unfortunate reality is they may not be able to legally purchase a firearm, but we are arresting people with a high number of firearms and most of them are stolen.”
Nelson then asked a follow up question wanting to know how often a stolen gun is used in shootings where people are hit by gunfire or killed.
“Percentage wise I don’t know, but I can tell you it’s almost all the time,” Garcia said.
With members of his community and his officers facing these dangerous realities,– Garcia says investigators are desperately trying to recover stolen guns– which then can be test fired– creating markings on shell casings that are analyzed to see if that gun’s markings match up with shell casings recovered from any other crime.
”The lab examiners use the computer… the Brass Trax machine to take those 3D images and then they can review and analyze. It’s a unique fingerprint on each one,” said ATF Denver Field Division Special Agent In Charge Brent Beavers.
He says this process and the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, better known as NIBIN is crucial in connecting the dots between gun crimes.
”Once a casing is entered or a firearm is entered it can be linked and it is an important factor in solving crimes in the state or sometimes nationally,” said Beavers.
Uncovering new information about stolen guns as a result of this process, investigators say they begin to piece together the big picture on how stolen guns are being used.
”We have tracked guns on crimes that have been stolen and used minutes later. We have tracked guns that have been stolen decades in the past,” said Garcia. “You start tracking that gun’s usage over the last ten years and you know it’s been used in a robbery here, a shooting there, and a homicide somewhere else.”
Even if you aren’t a gun owner, law enforcement leaders in Pueblo say you can help be a part of the solution and it starts with just making the call to police.
”If somebody is driving by your house and is firing a couple rounds in the air you might think oh I’m not going to report it, but if we have a NIBIN report on that particular weapon that may have been used in a homicide if not here, somewhere else. So sometimes a simple little act can lead to big, big things,” said Garcia.
We understand calling police about a gun crime can make people uncomfortable and could even be a dangerous situation, so we want to remind you about calling Pueblo Crime Stoppers at 542-STOP. You can always remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward for information that leads to a felony arrest.
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